Cyber Security in 2021 and What to Expect in 2022

Businesses have learned that unpredictability and a changed reality are the new standards in 2021. Although remote work was first intended to be a temporary solution to the worldwide epidemic, it is now considered a standard element of the corporate environment, dramatically influencing how firms operate. Indeed, companies have had to adjust to change their cybersecurity techniques in order to keep up with an abundance of IoT devices, a massive influx of cyber attacks from more skilled attackers and an increasing IT network.
Let’s step back and look at the top cybersecurity trends from 2021 and beyond to see where we’ll be in 2022.

2021:

• A transition in organizational culture: from on-site to remote work

This shift forces businesses to take a more active strategy for making their operations more safe and adaptable. Vulnerability is more critical than ever in terms of security. Organizations shifted overnight from on-premise to totally remote operations. Furthermore, firms faced the prospect of a flood of new attack avenues. In terms of connection, security experts were suddenly confronted with company networks operating on unmonitored networks, with the boundary now extending into employees’ homes.

• The advent of new cyber threats

The nature of cyberthreats also changed in 2021. At the outset of the outbreak, malicious people began targeting the healthcare business, with medical institutions and hospitals being threatened. However, since last year, this has spread into critical infrastructure, such as oil and gas.

• Increased Use of Multi-Factor or Two-Factor Authentication and development of defensive techniques

Businesses that implemented these multi-layer techniques were more successful in reducing attacks as well as identifying and discovering possible threats.

2022

• Ransomware groups targeted crucial infrastructure in 2021, including water treatment facilities, food and agriculture programs. Experts predict that after becoming successful in this area, attackers will move on to IoT devices.

• Many businesses have moved their data centers to the cloud, where they are reasonably protected from ransomware. However, the attackers currently have lots of resources to spend in inventing new types of attacks. And, just as robbers target banks because that is where the money is, attackers will target clouds because that is where the data is.

• Adversarial AI algorithms will be available to and used by cyber criminals to circumvent and confound standard security systems.

• Deepfakes are another danger that has been used to assist business email compromise fraud, circumvent multi-factor authentication (MFA) schemes, and will be used more frequently in 2022 and beyond.

If the events of 2021 have taught us anything, it is that businesses should not be startled by interruptions or caught by surprise when it comes to securing their networks and infrastructure from cyberattack. Within this volatile climate, the greatest precaution is to implement a multi-layered security system that is both proactive in preventing prospective attacks and reactive in the event that attacks do occur.

Sources:

Korolov, M. (2021). Looking Forward to 2022: What To Expect in Cybersecurity. Data Center Knowledge. https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/security/looking-forward-2022-what-expect-cybersecurity

Lim, M. (2021). The New Normal of Cybersecurity: Examining the Top Three 2021 Trends and 2022 Predictions. CPO Magazine. https://www.cpomagazine.com/cyber-security/the-new-normal-of-cybersecurity-examining-the-top-three-2021-trends-and-2022-predictions/

Mandiant. (2021). 14 cybersecurity predictions for 2022 and beyond. MIT Technology Review. https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/12/20/1042840/14-cybersecurity-predictions-for-2022-and-beyond/

Pernet, C. (2021). 8 advanced threats Kaspersky predicts for 2022. TechRepublic. https://www.techrepublic.com/article/8-advanced-threats-kaspersky-predicts-for-2022/